“The Gift of the Magi” is a short story, written by O. Henry (a pen name for William Sydney Porter), about a young married couple and how they deal with the challenge of buying secret Christmas gifts for each other with very little money. As a sentimental story with a moral lesson about gift-giving, it has been a popular one for adaptation, especially for presentation at Christmas time. The plot and its twist ending are well-known, and the ending is generally considered an example of comic irony.
Downloads
- The Gift of the Magi ( Short Story)
- The Gift of the Magi ( Play )
The Gift of the Magi Comprehension Questions
- Where does Della and Jim live?
- What’s the meaning of window-shop?
- What’s Jim’s opinion about Della’s hair?
- Why does Jim consider himself the luckiest man in New York?
- What’s Jim’s treasure?
- What’s Dellas’s treasure?
- Write a short paragraph summarizing the events that took place during scene #3?
- Why did Della sacrifice her hair?
- Write a short paragraph describing what happens during scene #5 in Jim and Della’s apartment?
- How would you define the love that Della and Jim feel for each other?
- Do you think that the story has a happy ending?
- Find out at least five important details about the life of the author
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